US may snub review outcome, concedes VFA panel exec
11/11/2010Chances are high that the efforts which the Aquino administration is making toward improving the contentious provisions stated in the existing Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States would be futile as the Americans may overturn whatever comes out from the unilateral review of the VFA Commission (VFACom).
Executive Secretary and concurrent VFACom Chairman Paquito Ochoa Jr. indicated this position the other night when asked to provide substantial details on the progress of the internal review that his agency is currently undertaking with respect to the VFA.
Speaking to reporters during a pre-birthday dinner he hosted Tuesday evening at the Bahay Ugnayan in Malacañang Complex, Ochoa said they are still in the initial stages of reviewing the VFA courtesy of the technical working group and are just about to start quantifying the possible improvements that can be applied on the treaty by next week.
“We still haven’t gone through the details. What we’re preparing for is our position. Once that’s ready, we will present it to them (the Americans) or we will sit down with them. I still don’t know how to go about the system of the conversation. There’s a procedure but I still haven’t memorized it,” Ochoa told reporters..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101111hed3.html
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